MARTIN GROVE'S HOLLYWOOD REPORT -- SUMMER STRENGTH - 07/21/14

Summer strength: Moviegoers are still picking films to see this summer, but Hollywood's already set its plans for what's shaping up to be a very strong summer of 2015.

While moviegoers are buying tickets to this weekend's wide openings of "Hercules" and "Lucy," the studios are hard at work on next summer's films -- including new episodes in franchises like "The Avengers," "Jurassic Park" and "The Terminator."

"Hercules'" greatest strength in tracking reports is with 25-plus males while "Lucy's" strongest appeal is to under-25 females. Of course, they'll both be competing against weekend three of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," one of this summer's biggest hits.

Looking ahead, here's a quick sneak peek at a few of the biggest titles slated to arrive next May, June and July. Release dates are always subject to change, but these are the ones turning up now on industry schedules.

It's a safe bet that the summer of 2015 will get off to a strong start with Marvel Studios and Disney's May 1 opening of "Avengers: Age of Ultron," the second episode in the 3D fantasy action adventure franchise that began with the May 4, 2012 launch of "The Avengers" to $207.4 million. It wound up grossing $623.4 million domestically, easily topping the 2012 chart.

May 22 will see another 3D Disney release enter the marketplace just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend. The sci-fi action adventure "Tomorrowland" is directed by Brad Bird ("Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol") and stars Britt Robertson, Judy Greer and George Clooney.

Its storyline involves a teenage girl, a genius middle-agedman, who's been kicked out of Tomorrowland, and a young girl robot, all of whom all trying to get to Tomorrowland in its alternative dimension so they can unravel what happened to it and save Earth.

June 5 will bring "San Andreas," an original 3D action adventure thriller from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Village Roadshow Pictures. Directed by Brad Peyton ("Journey 2: The Mysterious Island"), it stars Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario.

The film takes place after California's San AndreasFault triggers a devastating magnitude 9 earthquake. A rescue helicopter pilot (Johnson) and his estranged wife are making their wayfrom Los Angeles to San Francisco to save their daughter, but their treacherous journey north is only the beginning. When they think the worst is finally over, it's really just getting started.

No plot details for "World" have emerged yet, but it's a brand name franchise and moviegoers will certainly know what to expect well before its marketing campaign hits.

The original "Jurassic Park," directed by Spielberg, opened June 11, 1993 to $47 million. It went on to gross $402.5 million domestically, including subsequent reissues. "Jurassic" spawned two sequels – "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," which did $229 million in 1997, and "Jurassic Park III," which grossed $181.2 million in 2001.

Fox and Marvel Entertainment's 3D reboot of "The Fantastic Four" hits multiplexes June 19. Directed by Josh Trank ("Chronicle"), it stars Kate Mara, Miles Teller and Toby Kebbell. Its story revolves around four astronauts who develop superpowersafter they're exposed to cosmic rays while on a scientific mission in outer space.

The original "Four" opened July 8, 2005 to $56.1 million and ended up doing $154.7 million domestically.

No plot details are known yet, but moviegoers will start out with fond memories of the first "Ted," which opened June 29, 2012 to $54.4 million and ended up grossing $218.8 million domestically.

A new episode in one of Hollywood's most iconic franchises is due July 1 when Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions unveil "Terminator: Genesis." Directed by Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World"), the sci-fi action adventure stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney.

The "Genesis" storyline's still under wraps, but here, too, the film is a long established brand with moviegoers, going back to the 1984 original sleeper hit. The last episode, "Terminator Salvation," opened May 21, 2009 to $42.6 million and did $125.3 million domestically.

July 10 will see Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment open their 3D animated family comedy "The Minions," a spinoff of the blockbuster animated franchise "Despicable Me."

"Despicable Me 2," the franchise's most recent episode, opened July 3, 3013 to $83.5 million and did $368.1 million domestically.

This time around, Gru (Carell) is recruited by an organization to stop Scarlet Overkill (Bullock),a super-villain who, with her inventor husband Herb (Hamm), hatches a plot to take over the world.

Marvel Studios and Disney's fantasy action adventure "Ant-Man" surfaces in theatres July 17. Directed by Peyton Reed ("The Break Up"), it stars Evangeline Lilly, Paul Rudd and Patrick Wilson. It's based on the comic book and characters co-created by Marvel's Stan Lee. In "Ant-Man," biochemist Dr. Hank Pym (Rudd) uses his discovery of a subatomic particles group to create asize-altering formula. Though his first self-test doesn't go well, Pym develops a way of communicating with and controlling insects.

Bottom line: The summer of 2015 may be nearly a year away, but in Hollywood it's on studio executives' minds right now.